Date Published:
Aug 1, 2008
Abstract:
There is a rich collection of case studies examining the relationship between
democratization, women’s movements, and gendered state outcomes, but the variation
across cases is still poorly understood. In response, this article develops a theoretically-grounded
comparative framework to evaluate and explain cross-national variations in
the gendered outcomes of democratic transitions. The framework highlights four
theoretical factors—the context of the transition, the legacy of women’s previous
mobilizations, political parties, and international influences—that together shape the
political openings and ideologies available to women’s movements in transitional states.
Applying the framework to four test cases, we conclude that women’s movements are
most effective at targeting democratizing states when transitions are complete, when
women’s movements develop cohesive coalitions, when the ideology behind the transition
(rather than the ideology of the winning regime) aligns easily with feminist frames, and
when women’s past activism legitimates present-day feminist demands. These findings
challenge current conceptualizations of how democratic transitions affect gender in state
institutions and provide a comparative framework for evaluating variation across
additional cases.
Notes:
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